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A review by tomleetang
Quo Vadis? by Henryk Sienkiewicz
4.0
The good: excellent characterization. Any aesthete in the vein of Oscar Wilde will love Petronius. Brings Ancient Rome to life in all its debauchery and desperation. Convincingly posits why Christianity went from one of many Jewish cults to a major religion in its own right.
The bad: tendency to oversimplify its Christian message. Seems a little confused as to whether the final takeaway is that love conquers all, that Jesus conquers all, or that art is the ultimate object of life - the last three chapters feel like the author can't decide which way he most wants to end it.
The ugly: first chapter could have been scripted as the logline for a TV show the way it tries to cram in every single major plotline that will be gradually explored in the novel. The lack of subtlety is astonishing.
Bloody enjoyable though
The bad: tendency to oversimplify its Christian message. Seems a little confused as to whether the final takeaway is that love conquers all, that Jesus conquers all, or that art is the ultimate object of life - the last three chapters feel like the author can't decide which way he most wants to end it.
The ugly: first chapter could have been scripted as the logline for a TV show the way it tries to cram in every single major plotline that will be gradually explored in the novel. The lack of subtlety is astonishing.
Bloody enjoyable though